acceptance -- calum hood
by piinkielollipop
Summary: Synopsis: Fifteen year old Willow Gray had just moved to a new school as a sophomore, and all she wants is to stay invisible. However, as part of the school's customs, every new student is assigned two partners from junior or senior year to guide them through the first month of school. And it was just her luck that she was partnered with a popular senior named Calum Hood, and an at
1. Chapter 1

guess what? I'm moving. again.

this would be the ninth time I've ever moved in my entire life. don't bother to ask me why i never stay in one spot; my parents just like to be on the move. i've learned through experience that the best way to cope with constantly changing schools is to just stay in the shadows, unlike my sister, hayley, who is currently a senior. i didn't know how she did it, but she possessed a certain charisma that seemed to seduce everyone she met. literally. she dated at least five guys in our previous school during her junior year. i, on the other hand, am an absolute klutz when it comes to relationships. i have no experience at all. nada. nil.

although i often envy hayley, i always manage to convince myself that by not forming emotional attachments to anything or anyone, leaving won't be as bad.

so. here i am, reading the email sent by my new high school. dress code policies, homework expectations, blah blah blah. i swear all the schools copy and paste their guidelines from somewhere and tweak a few words here and there. but as i scroll towards the bottom of the email, i notice an unfamiliar paragraph:

'as a new student enrolling in our high school program, you will be assigned two partner students who will guide you through your first month in school. these students are picked by our administrators, and we believe that they will help to make your transition smoother. do not hesitate to ask them for help.

applicant: willow gray

partners: calum thomas hood, brook williams'

"this is useless," i grumbled aloud. "i don't need two people to make me feel pathetic." i closed my laptop screen and slammed my head a little too hard onto my table.

"ouch."

i sighed and reluctantly lifted my head to see hayley standing in my doorway, an amused grin plastered on her face. "were you assigned partners as well?"

"yeah, two seniors - jade and reese," she gushed, striding towards my bed and sitting on the edge of it. "this is so cool! who'd you get?"

"uh, a senior named calum and a junior named brook," i mutter. "honestly, i'll probably be completely fine on my own."

"aw c'mon willow," hayley sighed. "their job is just to help you get around. and besides, it's only for a month." i still remained doubtful, but offered her a tentative shrug. she beamed at me and i couldn't help but crack a tiny smile. "you'll be fine." then, she stood up and said, "anyways, gotta go pack for tomorrow, and so should you!" and with that, she strode out of my room. laughing a little, i decided to start packing as well.


	2. Chapter 2

"damn hallways," i muttered to myself as i turned right and found myself in front of yet another classroom. huffing in exasperation, i spun around on my heels and nearly crashed into the muscled chest of a boy over six feet tall. "sorry!" i squeaked.

"yo, watch it," he growled in a thick australian accent. i tilted my head back slightly and glimpsed a pair of hazel eyes glaring at me. swallowing nervously, i ducked my head again and headed in a different direction. a quick glance at my watch told me that i was only left with eight minutes to find the high school office where i was supposed to meet my partners. i silently chastised myself for having insisted that i would be alright on my own when hayley offered to find the office for me. when i rejected her offer, she shrugged and said she wanted to explore a bit by herself before heading to the office. sighing, i continued my hunt for any indication that would help me find my way, and fortunately, i soon stumbled upon a sign which read, "HS office".

i stared at the wooden door uncertainly, numerous kids no doubt already gathered inside. but i didn't give myself any extra time to ponder over it as i pushed the door and took a step inside. to my surprise, there were only eight other students inside. there were two groups of three, and another girl and boy hanging by the side, laughing at something. the girl was attractive to say the least; her smile, voice, physique, and overall appearance probably got her a lot of guys i'll bet. and the guy… oh god. it's HIM. as if sensing my presence, the two of them turned in unison to face me.

the girl, who i assumed was brook, grinned and waved at me, beckoning me over. the boy standing beside her (who was probably calum) just raised his eyebrows at me and i immediately felt self-conscious.

"so… you're willow?" brook grinned. i nodded once. "okay so, i'm brook, and he's calum." she nudged him, and calum chuckled, nudging her back. "okay anyways, we're going to give you a brief tour around the school first, and then you'll go to the second half of your first class." calum smirked at brook, who stuck her tongue out. together, to two of them started to walk outside, and i hurried after them. the entire time brook was talking, i couldn't help but zone out. and maybe stare at calum a bit. okay fine, maybe i stared at him for more than a bit, but i have to admit, he was pretty cute. it's just that he didn't exactly seem to like me.

after my half an hour tour came to an end, brook directed me to my first class - math. what a great way to start the day. the remaining hours of school consisted of rambling teachers, stacks of worksheets, and students shoving to get to classes. when it was lunch, i merely took out the sandwich i made for myself this morning and wandered through the somewhat deserted hallways.

i had never felt more relieved when school ended; i exited the front gate with everyone else, and began to walk home. but me being me, i ended up getting lost in a matter of 5 minutes. cursing myself inwardly, i reached in my bag for my phone to call mom. when i couldn't find it, i threw my bag on the floor in frustration and looked around for someone who seemed like they might be able to help me. suddenly, i saw a boy riding his bike towards me, and i felt a wave of relief. but as his face loomed into sight, i realized that it was calum. i gulped and quickly swung my bag over my shoulders again and began to walk the same direction again, as if i knew where i was going.

"you lost?"

too late. i bit my lip and turned around to see calum jump off his bike and approach me. i nodded a little hesitantly and he stared at me for a while before asking me, "where do you live?"

"uh…" fuck. i couldn't even remember my own address. "i can't remember… shit!"

"that doesn't seem like a very nice place to live," calum commented, raising an eyebrow. i shook my head furiously, blushing like an idiot.

"no! i mean, i totally forgot my address. and uh, i left my phone as well," i realized that i was on the verge of rambling, but i stopped myself just in time. calum beckoned me over to his bike. "no, i'll find my way home."

"i doubt you will," calum responds. he swings a leg over the seat, patting the space behind him once. i shake my head. "aw c'mon, this is kinda my duty as a partner as well - making sure you're safe." he sighed. "i'm going to my friend's house and we'll figure out how to get you home from there. then i won't bug you. deal?" i scanned his bike over, then decided it looked decent enough. as i sat on the seat behind him, he said, "you'd better hold onto me." after a moment of hesitation, i placed my hands on his shoulder and he immediately started to pedal at full speed. i yelped when my hands almost lost their grip, then i quickly secured them around his torso. throughout the entire duration of the journey to his friend's house, i clung onto calum for dear life. but after i realized that i wasn't lying on the ground bleeding to my death, i actually enjoyed the ride. not that i was ever going to let him know, but still.

"is this it?" i asked when calum slows to a halt in front of a house.

"no, i'm going to a random house for fun," calum snorted. i rolled my eyes and got off the bike as well, trailing behind him as he got up to the door and barged into the house. widening my eyes a little, i followed him inside and was greeted by a sudden clanging of symbols. inevitably, i jumped slightly and winced at how easily i was startled. suddenly, i saw three other boys in the garage around calum's age, and immediately took a step back.

"hey cal!

"you're finally here!"

"who's that?"

upon hearing the last question, calum sidestepped so all three boys could see me clearly. i gave a small wave and suddenly realized how short i was compared to all of them.

"hey!" the boy with hair like the inverse of a skunk's back grinned. "what's your name?"

"willow," i answered with a slight smile.

"aw she's shy," another boy who sat behind a drum kit chuckled. my cheeks reddened and i glanced at calum briefly to see him conversing with a lanky guy with blonde hair. "oh right. uh, i'm ashton, that's michael with the hair, and that over there is the seven foot tall luke."

"yeah I've been playing basketball all my life," luke grins at me. i nodded, which caused all four boys to laugh. my palms grew sweaty as i glanced around nervously. did i do or say something weird?

"he's joking," michael told me, chucking a guitar pick at luke. "we're in a band actually. 5 seconds of summer."

"sorry, never heard of it," i shrug apologetically.

"is she the girl you were assigned to?" ashton asks calum.

"yeah," calum says, pressing his lips together. "she's lost. and she doesn't have her phone. and she doesn't know where she lives." it sounded as if he were accusing me for not being able to find my way back, and i actually glared at him. he just shrugged as if to say "it's true", and i guess he was right. the guys bring me to the living room to try to search up my mom's contact or my home address. twenty minutes and eight phone calls later, i finally managed to reach my mom's mobile. she gave me our new address and told me to call a taxi because it would take me hours to walk home.

"alright, now we can finally practice," calum lets out a breath. "sorry guys." i try not to feel hurt at his words, but fail miserably. was i such a nuisance? the four guys head back to the garage as i phoned for a cab. as if only suddenly realizing i was still in his house, michael turned around and asked if i would be alright.

"yeah, i'll just leave as soon as i can get an cab," i tell him. then, someone on the other end of the line picked up. "oh, hello? hi, yes…" michael flashed me a quick thumbs up just as i was told that a cab would arrive in ten minutes. i paced back and forth in front of michael's house, until i heard music coming from the garage. i debated between staying where i was and sneaking back for a quick peek, contemplating the risks of getting caught. in the end, i snuck back and pressed my ear against the door that led to the garage. someone started singing, though i didn't recognize who. then, another voice joined in to form a harmony, and i recognized calum's voice. i don't know how i was able to distinguish his voice, but damn… that boy can sing. after a while, i started to hum a vague tune along to the song, which i had to admit, was pretty catchy. when the song ended, i remained leaning against the door with my eyes closed, savoring the last chord which lingered in the air. a small part of me felt slightly bewildered; since when was i so into music? the loud beep of a car horn interrupted my thoughts and i scurried out the door to get into the taxi.

on the ride home, i surprised myself by humming along to the song i just heard.

...

wassup guys? here's chapter two and you can view the original link here:

371035930-acceptance-calum-hood-ch-2


	3. Chapter 3

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"the moment i got home after going to michael's house with calum, i opened up my laptop and searched up "5 Seconds of Summer". the first website that appeared was a youtube link, so i clicked on it. a few seconds later, what seemed to be their youtube channel popped up on my screen and i stared at their profile picture, which was an image of the four boys with their instruments. i suddenly realized that i had been staring at calum for the longest time and quickly shook myself out of my trance. scrolling through their list of videos, i randomly clicked on one titled "The A-Team - Ed Sheeran - 5 Seconds Of Summer (cover)". while i waited for the video to buffer, i heard a knock on my door and i quickly closed my laptop screen. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""willow? it's me." hayley's muffled voice drifted into my room. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""yeah?" I call, glancing at my laptop. the door swung open and my sister stepped in, phone clutched tightly in her hand. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""your partners are brook and calum right?" she asked out of the blue. slightly taken aback, i nodded slowly. then, she sat down on my bed and stared at me intently. "okay so i'm not trying to stalk them or anything but…"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""seriously, hayley?" I raise an eyebrow and try to suppress my laugh. "okay so… what'd you find?" hayley handed her phone to me and i realized a second later that it was brook's instagram./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""this is only her instagram, but i also stalked - i mean, uh, checked her facebook and twitter, and i found out that she's really popular, but apparently she's like, two sided, you know?" hayley paused and took a breath. i nodded and shrugged./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""i mean, aren't all popular kids like that though?" i sigh. then, i realized with a pang of guilt and envy that my sister was also popular. "well, you're probably the only exception."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""i'm not popular," hayley protests, although a grin crept onto her face. "anyways. point is, just be careful." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""what bout calum?" the question popped out of my mouth before i could stop it./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""ooh does someone have a crush?" hayley smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""stop it," i groan, trying to hide my blush. "it's just a question. and he was rude to me today. i just wanna know what kind of person he is."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""fine," hayley rolls her eyes. "you know, he's actually really nice. he's in a few of my classes and we talked. oh, and also, he gave me his number. just as well that you're not into him because… i kind of am." i literally blanked out after she said that. if i didn't like calum… then why was i feeling jealous instead of supporting her? hayley had a way of wrapping guys around her finger, so i knew that once she liked calum, she would find a way to make him head over heels for her. "hello? earth to willow."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""yeah?" i forced myself to smile. "well, that's… nice."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""you okay? you seem kind of off."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""no it's just that he wasn't exactly the friendliest person today," i try to say nonchalantly. "i know I'm not the most interesting person but he could at least act like he didn't hate me." which was a lie. kind of. calum didn't really talk to me, but he treated me alright. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""okay then… maybe you could stay in your room or something this saturday?" hayeley shrugged innocently, scrolling through calm's instagram. i peered at her screen and saw her tap on a selfie of him and luke. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""what does that mean," i say suspiciously, glancing at her smile as she looked through his other photos. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""it means that i might've invited him over?" hayley turns to me with a sheepish smile and shrugs apologetically. i was overcome by a mixture of fear, despair, and excitement. but i couldn't let her know how i truly felt, not after what i told her about calum. so, i let out a long scowl./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""you are unbelievable," i rolled my eyes but grinned as i chucked my pillow at her. she caught it and sighed dreamily. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;""you know he's in a band right? i really want to hear him sing," hayley mumbled. ha! i inwardly gloated about the fact that i had heard calum sing before. that makes us willow-1, hayley-0. "anyways," hayley says, stretching. "just be prepared on saturday. we're either going to hang out in the living room or my room." i secretly wished it were the former, so i could "accidentally" forget that he was here, and wanted to watch TV outside or something. she stood up quickly and pranced out my room, shouting, "don't embarrass me!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;"laughing, i rolled my eyes and opened up my laptop again. i plugged in my headphones and pressed spacebar to play. in the video, calum had a guitar in his lap, and luke was beside him while ashton filmed the two of them. calum started laughing at the beginning of the video, causing me to crack a smile. then, he started to strum his guitar. /p  
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	4. Chapter 4

hey guys!

HAPPY CALUMTINES DAY 3

(im a day late but lets pretend its still feb 14)

this was just going to be a normal chapter but i guess i can make it valentine's day in the story as well :)

^^ sorry if it seems kinda out of place because it was kind of a last minute decision!

...

since the first week of school was only two days, i only had to survive another day of schoolwork, trying to stay awake, getting lost, and keeping small talk to a minimum. on the second day, all the new students and their partners had to do this "bonding" activity during lunch, which basically consisted of a bunch of redundant icebreaker games which no one really participated in. throughout the entire activity, i had to suffer through brook's relentless flirting with calum. and to my dismay, he countered her every flirtatious comment with one of his own, causing me to cringe. plus, it didn't help that the next day would be valentine's day; that girl was literally DYING to convince calum to ask her out. which probably wouldn't be difficult, unless hayley got to him first.

when we were finally let out from school, i had never felt more relieved. this time, i actually managed to get home without getting lost. i spent the entire evening chilling in bed watching netflix, but ended up sleeping at three a.m. just because i wanted to finish a TV series. so naturally, i overslept the next day and actually woke up at noon. technically, i wouldn't have woken up if not for the incessant knocking on my door.

"what," i grumbled, pulling the covers over my head.

"you might wanna get dressed," hayley shouts. "even if you might not see him, calum's gonna be here any minute."

oh shit.

i threw the covers off my bed and stumbled into the bathroom after grabbing a plain, loose white shirt and a pair of jeans shorts. just as i was yanking a brush through my hair, i heard the doorbell ring and mumbled a series of profanities. grumbling, i tied my hair up in a messy bun and washed my face. when i finally decided that i looked presentable, i exited the bathroom only to throw myself on my bed and open up my laptop again, and i realized that calum's band's youtube channel was open. well, i wouldn't mind watching another one of their covers; if hayley had a date with calum, then i had a date with my laptop.

"hi cal!" i heard from downstairs, and imagined hayley opening the door to hug him or whatever.

"hey hayley. uh, is anyone else at home?" my heart skipped a beat when calum spoke. suddenly, i was overcome with nervousness, and wondered if i should actually stay in my room until calum left.

"no, my parents left for a gathering with their friends," hayley replied. "it's just me and my sister right now."

"oh i didn't know you have a sister." so hayley didn't tell calum that we were sisters then. interesting.

"oh yeah, i must've forgot… anyways, you can head up to my room first and i'll just grab some snacks."

"sure." the sound of his footsteps sent a jolt through my body, and i had to take deep breaths and tell myself that he wasn't coming to my room he was going to hayley's -

my door opened and i gaped as calum stepped in. but he quickly realized that this wasn't hayley's room, and hurriedly backed away.

"oh shit. i mean, sorry. wait. willow?"

"surprise?"

calum looked so dumbfounded that i wanted to just burst out laughing, but i just stared back at him like an idiot.

"woah wait. you're hayley's sister?" he spluttered.

"yeah, turns out a popular senior can actually have a sister like me," i say. i immediately regretted the words as they tumbled out my mouth, but i guess they were true.

"no no no, that's not what i meant," calum said hurriedly, shaking his head profusely. "i just… i never made the connection before."

"oh. anyways… her room is the one on the left," i say, trying to act cool and turning back to my laptop screen. but instead, he continued to stare at me with a weird expression on his face. then, without asking for permission, he stepped inside and sat on my chair beside my bed. i realized in dismay that their channel was still on my screen, but too late; calum peered over my shoulder and widened his eyes when i glanced at him. then, his shocked expression turned cocky and he smirked at me.

"so… are you a fan of our band now?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"what?" i scoff, trying to look slightly disgusted. i probably looked like i some sort of facial disfiguration. "no. i only watched one cover and it was only meh."

"then why are you still on our channel?"

okay fine, he got me. i didn't know how to respond as i glanced between my laptop screen and him.

"i…"

"calum?"

the two of us simultaneously turned towards the door where hayley was standing with a plate of cookies. she glanced at both of us suspiciously.

"why are you in my sister's room?"

"oh uh," calum began, probably racking his brain for a believable excuse. "i was helping willow… find this timetable on the school website… for next monday… you know, 'cuz new students still have orientation and stuff."

"oh." hayley frowned, then cocked her head to one side. "my partners didn't tell me about that."

"it's just for underclassmen," i say quickly, and calum nods. just as abruptly as hayley had appeared in my doorway, she shrugged indifferently and headed towards her room, calling for calum to follow her.

"coming," calum called in response, and then we looked at each other and burst out laughing. he slapped a hand over my mouth and i fell backwards onto my bed, hitting my head on my laptop.

"ow," i moaned between giggles, and calum rubbed my head. this resulted in my hair falling out of its bun and tumbling in front of my face. i glanced at calum through my curtain of hair to see him grinning at me in amusement.

"i'd better go," calum chuckles, and he reaches out with a hand towards my face. i almost flinched when his fingers made contact with my skin, but he merely brushed my hair out of my face and winked before heading out of my room. i rolled my eyes but felt my cheeks heat up. plugging my headphones in, i resumed watching their covers over and over again for around an hour or so.

"knock knock."

i whipped around and saw calum leaning against the door frame. i frowned at him but take my headphones off and motion for him to come in.

"aren't you with hayley?" i questioned

"yeah… she said she was just going to go our for a bit to buy something and come back," calum explained, sitting down on the edge of my bed. he glanced at my laptop and i immediately closed the lid. "still watching our covers, huh?"

"no," i lied. pretending that i was doing something else, i scroll through instagram and stumble across numerous posts about valentine's day.

"oh shoot, i forgot today was valentine's," calum groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"why, do you have a girlfriend or something?" i felt a blush creep up as soon as i shut my mouth. stupid, stupid me. but to my surprise, calum shook his head.

"nah… i just broke up with a girl about a month ago. haven't dated anyone since."

"then why do you look so… flustered?"

"i should've bought hayley something," he sighed. then, he stood up. "i saw a flower shop nearby just now. do you wanna come?" i look at him skeptically, but sigh and nod as i followed him out my room and we walked in silence.

"so, hayley told me you thought i hated you?" calum asks suddenly. he looked at me with a question in his eyes, and i shrugged.

"well… not really, but kind of," i admit. he doesn't say anything else and i stare at him, confused. when we finally reached the shop he was talking about, he asked me which rose he should pick. "i don't know… oh. she likes light pink." calum nodded and i watched him pick out a pink one. a lump of envy rose in my throat as i imagined what it'd be like to receive a rose on valentine's day. i picked up a white one and admired it - its purity, and just the entirety of it. i closed my eyes and let out a long breath, then put it back when calum had paid for the rose. he carried a skinny plastic bag with his rose in it back home, and i told him i was going to my room to do some homework, and that hayley should probably be back soon. he hung around in our living room, and a few minutes later, i heard the door open and hayley squealing as calum no doubt handed her the rose. i stuck my head outside my door to see hayley hugging calum. then, he laughed and pulled back a little.

"oh hayley, uh, i forgot that i have a band practice with the guys in an hour… sorry."

"that's okay," hayley replied, sniffing her rose. "i have homework to do anyways as well."

"alright then." calum glanced up and caught my eye. "i think i left something upstairs, lemme just run and get it…"

i quickly retreated into my room and sprang onto my bed, acting as casual as i possibly could after caught spying.

"hey," i said without looking up. "aren't you leaving?"

"yeah i am."

i frowned at him and tilted my head to one side in question. he walked up to me, and surprisingly handed me a rose. a white rose. shocked, i stared at him with my mouth open, then at the rose.

"sorry, i… thank you," i whisper in genuine gratitude. he smiled a little, then turned to leave.

"oh and willow," he said, pivoting on his heels to face me. "you're alright." then, he disappeared and i heard the front door slam shut a moment later. throughout the rest of the day, i could hear his voice ringing in my head.

 _you're alright._

...

myworks/99175626/write/372789106

this chapter could've been written better, but i actually like calum and willow's interactions in here :)

ily


	5. Chapter 5

on monday, i honestly didn't know what to expect when i saw calum. i was kind of worried that he completely forgot about what happened on saturday, but at the same time, i'd probably feel embarrassed if he brought it up. when i got to school that day, i was disappointed that there was nothing special planned for the new students, which meant that i probably wouldn't see calum or brook the entire day. which meant that i either had to suffer through the excruciating long day by myself, or actually make an effort to start a conversation with someone. luckily, i didn't have to make that decision when i arrived late to biology and had to sit next down to another new kid.

"hi, what's your name?" the guy beside me with glasses asked. okay, i had to admit, he was kind of cute.

"uh… willow," i reply. "you?"

"oh hey willow. i'm jake," he grinned, pushing his glasses up a bit. "you're new too?" i nodded in acknowledgment. "so am i. this is actually my first time moving, so i was really nervous."

"really?" i ask in surprise. "you've never moved before?" jake shook his head with a small frown, and i blushed. "sorry. i guess it's 'cuz i've moved so many times that moving just seems normal to me now."

"how many times have you moved?" jake asked in genuine curiosity. i held up nine fingers, and he widened his eyes. "holy shit. that's-"

"jake malone, mind your language," the teacher's sharp voice interrupted him, to which he responded with a nonchalant apology.

"anyways… what was i saying?" jake paused for a moment and acted as if he were in deep thought. "oh yeah. that's INSANE." for some reason, both of us crack up laughing, which earned us another glare from the teacher.

"watch it, both of you," she hissed. we muttered apologies but continued to laugh under our breaths.

"so, are you in any activities or sports or anything?" jake asked.

"uh… not yet. to be honest, i still don't really know what this school offers, but i play the piano, dance, and play volleyball outside of school."

"oh, cool!" jake exclaimed, then lowered his voice when he realized that he was probably going to be sent to the principal any moment. "i just joined the football team, and the captain of the boys' football team at this school is really good."

"really?" i wasn't exactly interested in football, but it was better than listening to (biology thing here). "who's the captain?"

"i forgot his name, but he's a senior. i think it was calvin? caleb? oh, but i know his last name is hood."

i froze in recognition of his last name, and i innocently suggested, "calum hood?"

"yeah, that's it!" jake whisper-exclaimed. "apparently he won some national league or something. wait, how do you know him?"

"he's my partner," i answered with a shrug. i was going to mention the fact that we were somewhat friends, but decided to keep that to myself for now.

"you free after school today?" jake asked suddenly. i started to say that i had loads of homework to do after school, but realized that this was an informal test to see if i wanted to be his friend or not. so, i accepted his invitation. his eyes lit up with excitement and fist-bumped me. "great! come find me at the lockers after school and i'll bring you to the field."

"okay." i grinned and knew in my head that i had made the right decision.

the day seemed to drag on forever and i actually fell asleep in class once, but luckily i shared that class with jake so he woke me up before the teacher noticed. after the bell rang, i walked out of my last block to look for jake by the locker rooms, and recognized him right away in his striped jersey.

"c'mon, gray," he called, waving me over. i was kind of surprised that he called me by my last name, but i actually kind of liked it. i also noticed that he was flanked by a couple of his friends, but they started to talk amongst themselves when i approached jake. "our practice ends at six, but you can leave before that if you want."

"i'll text my mom and see if she needs me home before that," i told him. i glanced around, speculating the rest of the football team. "uh… where's calum?"

"he's probably already on the field," jake said, shrugging. he broke into a light jog, and i followed suit. the moment we stepped outside, i felt the blistering heat and pitied the football players. he led me to the empty bleachers; it was probably too hot for anyone else to sit and watch. nevertheless, i promised jake that i'd watch his practice.

"jake!"

he spun around upon hearing his name, and i turned as well to see calum jogging over.

"willow?" calum squinted in the sun, then slowed down once he reached us. "what're you doing here?"

"watching jake's practice," i answer, crossing my arms across my chest. calum looked at me, then at jake, who grinned.

"you can sit over there if you want," he said, gesturing to a patch of grass sheltered by a huge oak tree. i nod, then catch calum staring at the two of us a little weirdly.

"just don't step on the field," calum grunted. "and hurry up, jake." with that, he started to run towards the center of the field while dribbling a football between his feet. jake frowned at the senior but didn't seem too bothered by calum's attitude.

"whatever. just sit under the shade, and you can do homework or something if you're bored of watching us."

i laughed a little when he winked, then waved as he sprinted after calum. shaking my head, i plopped down underneath the oak tree, leaning against its rough trunk. the first half an hour or so was pretty boring, i'll admit. i resorted to pacing back and forth (homework sounded too boring), and was totally caught off guard when jake started screaming my name. blearily, i looked up and realized after a split second that a soccer ball was flying towards me.

"willow!"

calum was sprinting towards me, but too late; the ball hit me square in my stomach, the impact sending me stumbling backwards into a small hollow in the ground. pain flared up in my right ankle, and i gritted my teeth as my back hit the floor. for a moment, i lay there, stunned. when i snapped back to reality, i felt my ankle throb unbearably. tears sprang up in my eyes, but i fought to keep them back; i wasn't one to cry. suddenly, a few loomed over me, followed by a few more people. they were all talking at once, and i couldn't make out what they were saying. then, a hand reached out towards me, and i immediately grabbed it. slowly, i put my weight on my left foot and tried not to whimper in pain as i slowly stood up. looking up, i realized that it was jake who had pulled me up, and i smiled at him gratefully.

"are you alright?" jake asked, worry written across his face. i shrugged, but nodded so that they wouldn't make a big deal out of it. instinctively, i glanced around and saw calum hanging by the side, staring at me anxiously. but when he caught my gaze, he quickly looked at his shoes and walked away. trying not to feel hurt, i turn to jake in question, who caught me staring at calum. he sighed, then explained, "calum was the one who kicked the ball that hit you… it was an accident though."

"it's not his fault," i frown. jake shrugs and sighs again.

"i know. he probably feels really bad right now, but he usually doesn't act like this… anyways, let's get you to the nurse."

i wrapped an arm around jake's shoulder, and he held onto my waist as i limped towards the nurse's office. i couldn't help but turn around once more, only to catch calum lingering at the edge of the soccer field, staring at me.

…

wowzas i haven't updated in quite a while. oops. anyways, idk what happened with this chapter lol. i was kind of just writing without thinking. but… i actually kind of like it. it's sort of a transition between building up their relationship and more drama. i guess we'll see in the next chapter :)

ily


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